Chump to Champ

It's finally Youm's turn.

But its the youngster with him who spoke. Looks like a small, scrawny bright-eyed college-age kid who'd be mistaken for a high schooler and by his clothes, he's clearly a mage.

'We're a Survey Party from the Kingdom of Falmuth.' said the kid. 'This is Youm, our Captain and I am Rommel, the Chaperone.' he introduced themselves. 'It was happenstance that we passed onto your territory thanks to the Adventurers and upon talking to the people here, we learned the story behind the Orc Lord so I guess our mission ended long before we can even start it.' he said sheepishly and he was THANKFUL it was as he doubted they'd survive the job with cheap gear dammit. They'll all die.

Rommel was a graduate from the Military Academy's Mage Division. But his accolades got him assigned to the territory of Count Nidole Maigam.

He really regretted not training hard enough as the Count's way of handling things SUCKED that everyone complained, but nobody can do a thing.

As a mage of his rank, he was supposed to enjoy an annual salary of 10 gold coins but in the count's territory, he only gets 4!

And trying to get himself re-assigned is like pulling teeth that he admits he got reckless enough to get himself assigned to Youm's group and bring back success. But upon seeing the cheap gear granted to Youm's group, he hopes on luck since.

Those closest to the Count are corrupt and don't give a damn as long as they were on a 'friends with benefits' deal with the Count. In short, shady things happen behind the scenes to keep their pockets fat. Those who find out...disappear. Those lucky enough to avoid being hunted ensured people know what's going on, complete with evidence they managed to scrounge to the point that with key words alone, adventurers knew they're from Falmuth instantly.

Those before him did their job right. It was...VINDICATING.

And unlike his superiors, Youm was a swell boss who looked after everyone.

So within a week of seeing that, he removed the Binding spells enforced on them by the Count.

'We doubted we'd survive such a dangerous mission as while I got gear befitting my rank after graduating from the Military Academy, Youm and the others got really cheap gear we know we're doomed from the start.' Rommel admitted as beside him Youm scowled heavily. 'Youm complained about the gear, and the Count ordered me to put Binding Spells on the crew that forces targets to comply with his orders...but since we're dead men walking with such a spell as it encourages reckless actions, I removed it once we're a week away from the County.'

'I'm surprised you didn't ditch the job by faking your deaths.' Rimuru noted. In anime, that usually happens. 'I'm not liking what I'm hearing as the implications are rather nasty.' this is military version of exploitation of employees nobody'd miss, she thought.

'Not that we had a choice.' Youm griped as he sat with his feet on the table that got Shuna appalled with his manners. 'We're popular in the town we lived in. We were kinda like Vigilantes doing the jobs the useless bunch should have done. By that, I meant our uselessly-lazy military who may as well be jobless bums in costume.' he said in contempt. 'Buuut they didn't like that because nobody justifiably gives them respect they think they deserve, tattled to the count as we nobodies are more popular than his supporters, and we're in a correctional facility since, before this job. They even threatened our town if we don't give intel on the Orc Lord.'

'So your neighbors and friends are basically hostages.'

'Unfortunately and it wouldn't sit right with us.' Youm sighed before snorting. 'On the other hand, I'd love seeing that pig freak out in his office at least, just once. From what Rommel would tell us, he was embezzling money meant to be used for his county's side of National Defense.'

'In other words, the Orc Lord showed up when we had no proper defense thanks to that, and here we are.' Rommel chirped. Youm twitched and like most men would do with their companions, gave Rommel a one-handed noogie.

'Nevermind us dudes, but I also have a problem with a kid on a job like this, when they probably have a more experienced Mage on the wings.' he said.

"Hmmm, looks after his men, got good looks if he bothered to groom himself, but he has a good heart under a gruffly obviously-there tsundere nature." Rimuru thought. "And he has the charisma of a Leader and inspire devotion."

She then grinned, an idea in the works.

'Rimuru-sama, have you got an idea in mind?' Benimaru asked her.

'Yeah. Since we're forging good relationships with humans this time starting with Blumund and these guys really wanna defect, we can use that.' said Rimuru, a glint in her eyes. 'Say Youm...wanna become a Champ out of being a Chump?' Rimuru offered as Youm made a wide-eyed 'O' with his expression. 'Fuze, is it widely known that we already dealt with the Orc Lord?'

'Widely-known? Errr not yet...when your guy showed up in my office, me and these three are the only ones present.' said Fuze. 'I only told the King and select few ministers, but there's no public announcement as of yet.' he said. 'It will also cause confusion if we made it go public without reliable confirmation first.'

'Aaaand that's why you're here other than forging an alliance. I had hope its not public yet for this idea to work. If not yet, we can have the royals cooperate with us on this, in exchange that Youm and his crew are secretly mercenaries for Blumund with ties to us as well while ahem, legally due to issues, they have ties to Falmuth. But for this to work like I said, we need to make Champs out of Chumps.'

Youm was stunned.

'Me? A Champion?' he was utterly shocked and in disbelief that this slime lady has such plans for him. 'Look lady, just what part of me, looks like a Champion?'

'You have the traits of one. The main issue is equipment and skill which under training from hell, you'll have just that.' Youm choked at that. 'You heard what Fuze said, if monsters beat monsters, that's still a threat to humans as it simply means there's a stronger monster out there to scare people. So I want the official story that YOUR TEAM beat the Orc Lord.'

'HAAAAAAHHHH?!' Youm's jaws dropped in shock as he can see where this is going.

'...aaaand its the town of monsters who supported these brave young heroes by supplying them with proper gear and rations for the mission. This is a narrative that will help us forge better relationships with humans and easing human-monster relations. Despite what humans believe, we're not feral and uncivilized man-eating tribes as they believe, you know. Seriously, where'd they come up with that?' she snorted.

Fuze began thinking hard because this is politics at play regarding human to monster relations.

As far as good relationships go, Shizu and his subordinates have good rapport with Tempest. But nation-wise, Rimuru hopes for better deals as that means less enemies for her and her town.

'I think Blumund will be able to support this decision.' he said. 'If I work with those in-the-know, we can spread this to nearby nations and we'll fan the gossip from there.' Youm gave him a WTF look.

'And why are you so gung-ho about this?!' he demanded. 'They're monsters y'know!'

'I understand your consternation, but forming a fellowship here has meaning beyond just avoiding confusion.' Fuze told him sternly. 'This town is full of Named Monsters and Rimuru, their Guardian, named them all.' Youm choked at that as Named Monsters are powerful and evolved. Ranga is evidence enough as it is. 'If anyone dumb enough attacked them, this town can wipe out a whole city with no sweat in five minutes.' he said to the smug-looking Kijin and one...dragonoid? behind Rimuru. 'Blumund knows this so diplomatic cooperation is for the best here.'

'Yes, and we'll have to collaborate with King Gazel about this idea too.' said Rimuru. 'He knows the real story as of last year.'

'Mm.'

'So Youm, up for it?' Rimuru asked him. 'I'd call you a Hero, but I learned that Heroes are special humans chosen by the World itself through Spirits of Light and possess powers on par with Demon Lords, so making you call yourself a Hero is a tru-blu bad idea that being a Champion is a safer option.' Youm can just imagine horrors and implications of being hounded by countries and attacked by powerful monsters for claiming to be one. So yes, he readily agreed. 'For now, I have a simple task for you at this moment.'

'And that is?'

'I know that you guys didn't do beyond eat in the woods and stayed in your hotels. So tomorrow morning, I want you guys to explore and understand Tempest, this Monster Town of ours.' said Rimuru. 'You are the linchpin of this whole idea. And I want you and your men to understand that the world isn't always black and white. There's a shade of gray in both sides.' she told him. 'There's good and bad in both human and monster. Your nation is a stellar example enough as it is.'

'...'

'Once you understand, come see me again in my office.' said Rimuru. 'Ellen, your magic training starts tomorrow after breakfast, so report to my office after that.'

'K~!'

xxx

Next morning, Youm and his troops explored Tempest while knowing of the basic laws of Tempest, understanding that attacking anyone here, will get them killed and the others immediately arrested for judgment based on their actions.

Given their cheap gear and that all in Tempest are Named, nobody'd dare.

'So Ellen, what spells do you currently know?' Rimuru asked Ellen.

'I began as an F-Rank Adventurer with the guys before I became the B-Rank Informant we are now...but we're too poor to afford the training to improve ourselves.' Ellen pouted. 'Then when you gave us our inheritance from Shizu, yeah, the boys trained while I'm stuck in magic, but I did undergo physical training at least to make up for it so I can carry heavier loads on supplies. I can only do Basic Magic kids learn as a result at their first year in Freedom Academy.'

'So to compensate you guys became informants and investigators, maximizing the basic spells you've got as well as Gido.'

'Yes. But in fights, I can't even Buff as what's expected of me. We're like, super-poor to afford training for that.'

'Well, at least I know where to start with you.' Rimuru mused as she took out a notepad. 'We'll begin with Status Magic. The Positive Buffs and Negative Buffs. Let's go to the grounds and I got some volunteers for you to practice on...' and she took Ellen outside...

xxx

Come Sundown, the men gathered at Rimuru's office.

'So, how did you like our town?' Rimuru asked Youm.

Youm thought deeply as he looked at the entire town.

The monsters here are good looking by standards so he threw conventional knowledge into the mental trash can. The monsters here live peaceful lives. The facilities are great when he asked around.

Although while the people here respect Rimuru, they take it to...crazy levels because products here are friggin' named after her he was creeped out.

He braved talking to a few mons regarding the cult culture.

Its apparently because she was their savior and guardian, and introduced things they can only dream of having that they now have a better lot in life compared to how it used to be for them for their entire lives. And they had a taste of what could have been a dream, had they never met Rimuru.

They were given names and evolved to be better that they became stronger, smarter and gained skills for livelihood. Sturdy homes. Steady supply of food. Education and Training and comfortable life. All that they have now, would never happen if they never met Rimuru. Tempest would have been just a dream, never reality as they would forever live in an uncertain future, while constantly watching out for stronger monsters as tomorrow may never come, had they remained weak, tiny goblins.

The Direwolves that are usually predators, became allies of the goblins that were prey before.

The Oni that were here, were survivors of the Orc Trouble stirred up by a Majin called Gelmud who was working for a Demon Lord. Rimuru evolved them into Kijin but the truth was a lot complicated that the Orcs were forgiven...but they still have to be sentenced in a way that everyone's fine with. So Labor it was, until all towns of Tempest are built. The Kijin are unfortunately, the last of their kind as a result.

So yes, she was their savior, guardian and teacher.

And considering how things work, this town was picture-perfect peaceful under a good leader. Everyone's happy and prosperous.

There's even playgrounds for children. Beautiful parks to hang out in. And other entertainment varieties.

And so...he's convinced that they're no typical monsters.

'Well, its pretty much ideal, had the ruler been for the people and not corrupt.' said Youm. 'And human rulers can't do something so simple.' he said bitterly.

'Well, we don't care about social status and money to begin with to ridiculous extents humans do.' Rimuru snorted. 'We care more for life comforts. So what's your decision?'

'I had Rommel tell that pig we all died.' Youm grinned. 'Because if we go back, it's back to Labor Camp for us. Basically, slavery just for doing the right thing. I'll try this champion thing out.'

'Good, so go topless.'

Youm did a spittake at the order and Gabiru and the Kijin gave her a WTH look.

'EHHHH?!'

'Just do it.' VERY RELUCTANTLY, Youm did so, red-faced. Once he's topless, he was ripped. This caused Rimuru to whistle appreciatively, earning Youm jealous glares from Benimaru, Souei and Gabiru.

'Looks like you did a lot of mining and digging due to how your arms, shoulders, and stomach looks, giving you a decent foundation for training. So Labor Camp has its uses in developing a swordsman's body and you're suited for two-handed broadswords. But time under the sun gave you uneven skin tone and discolored in the wrong places, as well as dry skin, we can sort that out with medicine and cosmetics we got here as well as our wonder-food and you'll look like a human celebrity in no time flat.' Rimuru reassured him. 'The final issue now, is training. Hakurou, before school year begins, pound some skill into him. Benimaru, Souei and Shion can handle the crew members. The rest can be gained from experience. I'll handle Ellen and Rommel.'

'Mm. Looks like new students will keep on coming. Hohoho!' Hakurou chuckled fondly. Then he looked at Youm with a sinister smile. 'Prepare for it, boy!'

'Uhhh...yeah.' Youm gulped.

'Well, that settles it.' said Fuze with a grin. 'We'll begin this project.' he said with a grin. 'I'll inform the authorities and King Gazel on your behalf.'

'Mm.' Rimuru then turned back into a Slime just to create a body double of herself. 'Milo, Collie, Bobby, come out!' Rimuru summoned three Tempest Storm Wolves. 'With my body double securing Fuze, Cabal and Gido on your backs as well as applying barriers on them, take em' to Blumund as fast as you can.'

'Yes, master!'

'Er...how fast are they?' Cabal asked Rimuru nervously.

'Oh, they used to be 80 mph max, now they can run as fast as 100 mph while ignoring all forest obstacles and some small heights, so from here to Blumund in a straight line, you'll be there by dinnertime if you leave now.' said Rimuru, conjuring a map of the forest that also showed where Blumund was. It was to the west of them. 'That's opposed to a month on foot, assuming you don't get lost.'

'Welp, that's convenient.'

(They later howled at how they're TOO fast, even when protected with too many barriers...)

xxx

'Now then,' said Rimuru as outside town, by Veldora's Cave entrance is where magic lessons are. 'Ellen is stuck on Beginner Grade 1 Magic and how far are you, Rommel?' Rimuru asked Rommel.

'Well, while I indeed learned spells as expected of any human Military Academy, my strength is that of an Adept.' said Rommel. 'Mages like us have ranks.'

Warlock

Sorcerer

Wizard

Magician

Archmagus

Magus

Conjurer

Adept

Apprentice

'...but there are many factors in ranking during time in Military Academy to graduation. Money and Merits.' Rommel would tell the girls. 'Money for buying the equipment needed to increase your power, and Merits regarding Mastery of Spells and making magical items, tools and potions taught in school. But while Potion-Making didn't need much magical power so that's where I excelled at, money was the problem.' he said. 'You can never advance without money to learn and master stronger spells and complicated rituals. And everyone only has six years in Magic Course.'

'There are many poor students like myself...but aware of how our country works, they decided they'll do anything to advance. And I do mean anything.' Rommel shuddered. 'But that also means they can never leave. They even have Binding Spells in return for favors to prevent betrayals and are on beck-and-call, unable to refuse forever.'

'So while being stuck, you'd rather keep your dignity and freedom.' Rommel nodded. He was a cute kid with the face of an Uke. If he was so desperate, he'd be a catamite too. 'I can guess what your peers did.' said Rimuru wryly. 'Its basically the same as making a dark deal.'

Even in College and offices come adulthood, sexual wiles are a favored tool. Faking grades check. Buttering up the boss double-check. Even then that's a gamble most higher-ups would prey on as easy access to one's base urges. And if they get pregnant without getting what they whored themselves out for? Or in the case of both men and women STD? Double yikes.

Satoko of back then, thanks to being an Otaku, is extremely genre savvy she defied as many social tropes as possible to keep her dignity intact as she rose up the workforce ladder as a career woman.

'What did they do?' Ellen wondered.

'You don't want to know.' Rimuru and Rommel told her at the exact same time flatly, making Ellen do a double-take. She really wonders now...

'Anyways, Ellen learned three different barriers and a speed status buff yesterday, and since Rommel has no access to spells beyond Adept Rank, I need to know those so I'd know what you don't have...and by sundown, we'll pay Kurobee a visit, so imagine how you'd want your staff to look like so we can get it custom made. Show it to Kurobee through thought projection.'

'Hai!'

xxx

That night, two of the wolves came home vis Shadow Step, saying Fuze requested one stay behind to act as messenger for the decisions of the Blumund Court.

'Welp, we have a designated routine in these two months.' Rimuru mused.

She created fruits and vegetables she mutated for benefits that she ended up gaining Unique Skill: Creator as she was bringing to life anime fruits, vegetables and herbs and breaking as many magical laws as she could as she was a firm believer of 'with magic, anything is possible as long as you know how'.

The crew ate fruits and vegetables of her creations to be healthy with beautiful skin, nail and hair conditions, and their discolored teeth became pearly-white and clean. Dark gums became nicely pink and due to a vegetarian diet, lost their bad breath along with colon cleansing.

On their final week here, they had to be measured for armor and accessories as their weapons are long-since made.

Their armor are Unique-Grade Material made out of A-Class Monster Parts which are also enchanted and light armor underneath was Gehenna Moth silk with Shuna's treatments. Their weapons of preference are also Unique-Grade. Their equipment was of such class even royalty would sell their souls for if they weren't as rich as Dwargon.

And to think they got it for free.

'Well, you guys are now a party worthy of being called human champions.' Rimuru looked at the crew approvingly. 'Fuze will help you level up through quests and as you travel until you reach A-Class Adventurer status. Do good deeds in your name so you'll earn public fame among humanity. Just don't become the kind of people you'd hate as fame can make people change for the worse.' she reminded them. 'You'll also earn some money alongside experience. Your equipment will protect you and work against A-Class Aggressors. Just not monsters.'

The group is also in possession of enchanted bags containing tools and equipment for comfortable camping life and cooking life, thus are on a journey to become Champions.

As for Ellen as her group isn't back yet, she still has time to practice off of menus given to her because the school year has officially begun thus is on her own in the meantime. Though she too, received a new Mage outfit, dominantly royal blue in color with white and gold trimmings and pieces. But in the design of Atlas Academy Uniform from FGO ending in shorts, not a miniskirt. Her staff remains the same as it was a staff made out of 20% magisteel, enabling Ellen to reach Magus-Levels of power as a Mage. Until then, she keeps it before getting a new one from her.

Fate will soon take a turn...